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ABSTRACT Building on the notions of new agglomerative forces and untraded interdependencies',recent work on regional development has highlighted the role of 'unique assets' as core factors of competitiveness. Such assets, perceived in relational terms, derive their value from the fact that they are not easily reproducible. Taking the case of non-core regions, this paper seeks to quay the role of unique assets. While the link between unique assets and competitiveness is not denied, non-core regions may benefit more from modernization and learning perspectives geared to appropriating general assets. Empirical evidence from the north-east of England and Northrhine-Westphalia is used to show that, in practice, innovative forms of business support indeed tend to focus on the latter objectives.
1. Introduction
Since the early 1980s, many regional development strategies have been grafted onto the link between innovative agglomerations and regional specialization. A sustainable basis for regional employment and wealth is derived, in this view, from the existence of integrated and dynamic clusters of firms (particularly SME), supported by an innovation-oriented business environment. A recent theme in the discussion is the emphasis on `unique relational assets' as a major source of regional competitiveness. Rooted in regional socio-economic systems, such assets stem from the interactions and interdependencies, largely of an 'untraded' character, between local firms and organizations. They do not present so much tangible properties but are of a more relational nature. Most significantly, they reflect sustainable sources of competitiveness because their untraded nature makes them not easily reproducible. Erosion of competitiveness is prevented by the tacit nature of the assets and their embedding in a specific and heterogeneous set of proximate organizations.
Much of the literature underpinning the notion of `unique relational assets' is derived from core regions. The question is what is the relevance of `unique relational assets' for non-core regions. This paper will take issue not with the empirical observations that have led to new insights into regional specialization, but with the prescriptive conclusions derived from them.
By exploring the arguments underpinning these new insights and presenting some empirical material from non-core regions, the emphasis on locally rooted unique advantages as regional development concepts will be qualified. The core argument is that for non-core regions, a modernization and learning perspective may be more relevant than...